More Than Acquaintances
by Marshall Polemos
Summary: A series of one shots exploring Bastila's struggle to break the Jedi Code for her feelings towards an amnesiac Revan.
1. Meeting the Kath Hound

A female kath hound rose from her side and peered through the tall grasses of Dantooine at a man blundering through the meadow. Satisfied that her young were given a wide berth, she lay back down but still kept a distrustful eye on the intruder. A woman stood a short distance behind the man, with a nasty scowl matching her equally nasty clothing. Dirt and grass stains covered her tan robes, and she seemed bothered by her current look of disarray.

Bastila Shan huffed and skipped into a frigid jog to catch up. Q'ren Ocoun jerked around at the sound of snapping twigs and rustling grass to see who the attacker could be. He met fiery blue eyes and a furrowed brow.

"I'm not helping you if you attract any more of those hellhounds."

He flashed a horrendously arrogant grin, puffed out his chest, and stated, "I don't need it."

An exasperated rumble erupted from Bastila's throat and she smacked his arm. '_How many times have I heard that already? I swear those were the first words he ever told me back on the Endar Spire.'_

She began to prepare a rant in her mind, and ran into a flashback of her first time running into the amnesiac Revan, now named Q'ren Ocoun.

* * *

><p>Bastila floundered through the crowded hallways of the Republic ship in a desperate attempt to make sure that "Q'ren" had made it aboard before the ship "raised her sails" as the captain had said. She still didn't understand that. Her thoughts flitted away at the sound of a thud and a series of expletives. Just around the corner was a man struggling to lift a large piece of, now dented, machinery off the floor. Relief flooded Bastila's mind at the recognition of the "former smuggler". She bent down and tried getting eye contact.<p>

"I can he-"

"I don't need it."

A twitch found its way to her nose, a subconscious habit when she was irritated. '_How rude! Cutting me off like that…and he didn't even look at me._'

* * *

><p>"Bas?"<p>

That single word slapped her back to reality. A frown was forming on her face, but she just couldn't complete its formation. That endearing term, as much as she had come to dislike it, really felt nice. For once she wasn't being seen as an inferior padawan or as a superior by some soldier or youngling. It was one of equality, and to her, it meant attachment. It scared her, but the feeling of mutual… _'Don't even think about it. It's just mutual respect, nothing more.'_ In the end, she could only furrow her eyebrows. Her mouth made a tight smile, and her eyes twinkled.

"Hmm? Oh, I was just…thinking." _It's mostly true, right?_

"You sure? You seemed disconnected, and that's not normal, for you anyways."

"Yeah, normally you're the one distracted, while I'm coherent." He had walked into it, it was only fair she deliver the comeback for all of the snidy remarks he'd thrown her way. Q'ren raised his right brow.

"Can I help that my only companion is a young woman?"

He never saw the hand streaking towards his face. White exploded into his vision, but he kept his footing. He'd taken worse hits, but his cheek still reminded him of the abuse it'd just been subject to. A chuckle escaped past his lips at the sight of Bastila glaring at him with one hand on her hip and another jabbing into his chest as she proceeded to scold him for letting his mind muse on "inappropriate things".

"-and it's very unbecoming of a soon to be Jedi!"

Q'ren took a bold step and brought himself uncomfortably close to Bastila for her own liking. He caught her waving hand and grasped for her other.

"You know, that kind of action is considered the beginnings of a mating ritual in some cultures."

Bastila froze, and a blush threatened her pale skin.

"I- I would nev- Oh my goo- How- Ugh!"

Q'ren's infamous smile cracked his features once more at the sound of her spluttering, and soon a deep laugh rang out over the field.

Usually, Bastila felt incredible annoyance towards Q'ren. He was so carefree and relaxed, and she normally couldn't help but feel irritated…and if she was willing to admit it, jealous. But for the first time, she realized that she couldn't keep herself bothered with him. And that thought was not something she wished to pursue.

Her musings were cut short when she noticed that her hands were still in his grip, and he was caressing them with his thumbs. Unsure of what to do, she brought her eyes up to the deep brown of Q'ren's eyes and just stared. After an uncomfortable silence, she slid her hands out of his and began to walk in the direction of the "tainted grove". She heard someone shout and didn't have time to see the mass of fur smash into her.

Q'ren was horrified. Three kath hounds stood over Bastila's still form, and each were challenging each other over their next meal. '_I need to act now!'_ He snatched for the lightsaber that hung from his belt with nothing more than a basic idea of getting the predators to chase him. With a shout and a throw, he hurled the weapon into one of the hounds. It released a jarring howl, and the hounds left standing tore off after Q'ren. His mind cleared, and Q'ren realized with a shock that he'd just thrown his only weapon with no way of getting it back without leading the hounds back to Bastila. And he'd just gotten the attention of blood thirsty monsters. Instinct took control, and he began to run.

* * *

><p>Q'ren stumbled back to the area he'd left Bastila lying in. He wouldn't have come back at all had he not led the now large group of kath hounds into a pack of Mandalorians. They were too busy defending themselves to worry about who the stranger was, or where he went.<p>

* * *

><p>Dusk found Q'ren sitting at the side of a medical bed. After taking a quick breather, he had gently scooped Bastila up into his arms and begun the grueling journey back to the Enclave. She was a lot heavier than she looked. When he'd finally struggled through the gates of the small complex, he'd taken Bastila straight to a Jedi Healer. Bastila didn't suffer anything more than a hard hit to the head, but she would be sore for some time. She hadn't woken or even stirred over the past few hours, and Q'ren was still worried despite the constant reminder that she would be fine. He heaved a sigh, sat back in his chair, and closed his eyes.<p>

"Wha-what happened?"

Q'ren jumped and looked around. The room was very dark. '_Night must've fallen awhile ago._' He ignored the present question, and handed a glass of water to Bastila. When she'd finished gulping down the precious liquid, she glanced over at Q'ren and gave him a questioning look.

"Oh right… You met an alpha kath hound."

"What's the rest of the story?"

"I rescued you, nothing new."

He faced a hard scowl, but he felt Bastila's gratitude. He reached over and gave her a crushing hug; she stiffened at first, but she slowly relaxed. She even returned the hug.

"You really scared me Bas."

"So how'd I get here?"

Q'ren couldn't help but grin at that.

"I carried you. Something I rather enjoyed."

"You beast. I hope Canderous didn't see us- I mean, me. He wouldn't let me hear the end of it."

"I almost paraded you in front of the others, but I prefer keeping you to myself. So no, he didn't."

Bastila scrunched her nose and groaned.

"Was that really necessary?"

Q'ren flashed his innocent look, and leaned forward.

"What?"

"I would appreciate it if you kept your-…'compliments' to yourself."

Q'ren gave her another "innocent" look, and grasped her hand.

"Despite your outward act of disliking them, I know you like them."

Bastila's eyes searched his face for a minute before she finally sighed and lay back in her bed. '_I don't like them do I? To accept those compliments could begin the formation of attachment, which is against the Code. He doesn't truly care for me does he?' _It was with very confused thoughts that Bastila obeyed Q'ren's order to rest. She adjusted her position and closed her eyes.

**EDIT: I read through this again and felt that a few things needed some adjusting. Nothing to the overall story has changed just some minor tweaks here and there.**


	2. A Missing Father

The bantha gave an obstinate snort and plodded away from the unique smelling biped. It did not smell like a Tusken Raider, and therefore should not be followed. Not even for fodder.

Q'ren gritted his teeth and once more waved the food in the stubborn animal's face. He was so close to finding the Star Map and the blasted creature would not follow him. Mission Vao lay belly down on the sand with her hands holding her chin up. She lazily swung her legs and could not keep the wide grin from taking over her features. Q'ren had been trying to lead the bantha to the krayt dragon's cave for over half an hour and nothing had happened. Even Juhani was getting agitated.

Q'ren eventually lost his patience and lunged at the unsuspecting bantha. He grabbed the twisting horns and began pulling the beast in the direction of the cave. It finally relented and followed.

* * *

><p>"There's your bait Komad. This had better work."<p>

"[It will. Just be patient.]"

Q'ren took a deep breath and tried to recover his calm. Juhani beamed at the sight, he was letting his emotions go and focusing on the task at hand. '_A true example to follow._' He'd changed so much over the past two weeks, ever since Bastila's "run-in" on Dantooine. However, he still took every chance he could to shower Bastila with cheesy compliments. Something Juhani found quite amusing.

A roar tore Juhani from her musing and she defiantly kept her head up at the sight of the dragon breaking loose from the dark coolness of the cave. '_There is no emotion. There is no emotion. There is no emotion._'

Mission was not as successful. When she finally ripped her eyes open, she found herself in a fetal position half buried in the dry sand. Komad's wistful sigh broke the silence and after a short speech about the unfairness of the kill, headed back to Ancorhead.

* * *

><p>The cave was a mess. Corpses were strewn throughout the rocky floor and most were undistinguishable. Q'ren took his time sifting through the pockets and bags of the unfortunates. Juhani picked her way through the cave and opened up the Star Map. Mission stayed near the entrance, wary for anymore Tusken Raiders.<p>

Q'ren remembered that Bastila's father was killed by a Krayt Dragon, and was taking his time, hoping to find her father's holocron among the bodies. He rolled another body over on its back and bit back the yelp that leaped from his lungs. Most of the body was missing, but half of the face was vividly distinguishable. '_That face…Bastila looks just like her father._' He quickly rummaged through the pockets, and found what he was looking for. He turned the body back over, and stood up.

"Mission, get Carth on the horn and have him fly over here."

"Uhh, ok."

Mission walked out into the blinding sunlight and called Carth.

Juhani finished downloading the information from the Star Map and looked up to Q'ren. '_What did he find? He looks different.'_

"Q'ren? Is something wrong?"

Q'ren's eyes widened, and he shook his head.

"I…found Bastila's father."

Juhani lowered her head and they both stayed silent out of respect for the dead.

* * *

><p>A lonely woman stood over the pit containing her father's remains as both of Tatooine's suns set over the sand dunes. Q'ren had pulled a Czerka marker out of the sand earlier, and said it would be used at the burial site. Bastila whispered a few words to her father and spiked the marker into the ground. She felt like a lake that had been emptied. '<em>This is the Jedi Council's fault. If they had let me keep in contact with my family, I would have at least been able to say goodbye to Father.' <em> She stared down into the grains of sand, begging it for a reason to why it had consumed her father. When no answer came, she left out a shaky sigh and slowly worked her way back to the ship.

* * *

><p>It had been two days since Bastila's father had been found. Q'ren was stumped, Bastila had become entirely disconnected from everything. Her eyes stared forward at nothing, and she never listened to the words directed to her. He wanted to snap her out of it, but he didn't want to disrupt her mourning. What bothered him most was the fact that she had given up on trying to leave the ship. He had refused to let her leave after the ordeal with the kath hounds on Dantooine, and she had complained the whole time. He knew she could take care of herself, but he was still too shaken up to risk it.<p>

Q'ren slowly walked up to Bastila's room and softly opened the door. Bastila sat on the floor in a meditation position with her eyes shut tight. He quietly stepped in and sat down in front of her. He closed his eyes and let silence permeate the room.

"Why?"

That single word asked so much. Q'ren glanced up and looked into Bastila's open eyes. He wasn't sure what to say, he'd never heard Bastila speak with so much emotion.

"I…"

Bastila interrupted, "If I had been able to at least speak to him throughout my time with the Jedi, would I feel any better?"

Q'ren mulled over her words, she was questioning the council. He personally had always thought that the rule against emotional attachments was a mistake, but he had never spoken of his disagreement to Bastila or anyone else. He was surprised that Bastila would even think about the council in a negative light. Words finally found their way to his tongue and stumbled out of his mouth.

"I can't say what would've happened one way or another. But I know, that if you're father had seen you now, he would be proud."

She closed her eyes, and a stuttering sigh echoed through the room. '_How can emotional attachments be bad? Q'ren is here to comfort me, and any Jedi would say that I should shrug it off… For once I am going to be human._' Her resolve hardened and she opened her eyes. Q'ren was staring into her features, concern etched into his face. She leaned forward and pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you."

After a minute, they let go of each other and Q'ren headed for the door.

But not without quipping, "You should do that more often."

Bastila cracked a smile and walked to her bed.

"Where are we headed next?"

Q'ren paused, his hand on the door panel.

"I'm thinking Kashyyyk."

He closed the door and Bastila lay back on the bed. She closed her eyes and let her worries and dreams slip away into blissful sleep.


	3. Confessions

**Hi guys, sorry I'm late on this one. Enjoy, and please review.**

* * *

><p>A tach ducked behind a thick bush and stared out wide-eyed at the spectacle before him. There stood two bickering Jedi. Jolee Bindo was a welcome addition to the mixed group of individuals seeking to save the galaxy. Q'ren and Bastila had been in the Shadowlands seeking the Star Map when they'd come across the old padawan. He'd joined up with them saying he knew where to find the Star Map. At that point in time, Q'ren could think of nothing other than strangling the rambling old man. They'd come to a "fork in the road" and both had chosen one way to go. Unfortunately, the paths they'd chosen were not the same. This led to a drawn out argument about Exar Kun, love, and banthas. Q'ren was sure the Star Map was to the south-east, while Jolee maintained that it was to the north.<p>

"Listen old man, I can feel the dark side's taint on the Star Map coming from this direction."

"To think I fought Exar Kun's army to protect your scrawny...Hmmph. I know where it is, and you'll be going the wrong way. Now keep your breeches on and follow me."

Q'ren defiantly stuck his chin out and glanced at Bastila. She was frustrated with both of the stubborn men and was very close to making the decision herself. She trusted Jolee's knowledge of the Shadowlands, but she also held Q'ren's abilities in very high regard. '_He'll never see me admit it though._'

"Let's try my way first. I'll fix up your lightsaber if I'm wrong."

"Wha-My lightsaber's not broken! You…."

Jolee finished grumbling the insults to himself. Bastila finally made her internal sighs vocal and started walking down the path to the left. She tried to ignore Q'ren's bragging as she continued down through the humid jungle.

They slowly made their way to an empty clearing, a sparse few vines were hanging down, dragging their tendrils across the bloody ground.

Q'ren squinted out into the darkness, and finally relented. The Star Map was not in sight. '_What was I sensing then? I know there was something over here._' Bastila called him over after spotting a slab of rock lying on the ground with a poem scrawled across its surface. He bent down beside her and began reading the poem out loud.

* * *

><p>Bastila and Q'ren sat up in a tree. Q'ren couldn't help but think of the old children's ditty about sitting in trees. Based on the looks that kept flashing over Bastila's face it was obvious that she was hearing the words through their bond. They'd decided to climb into the trees after they'd finish tying the cold kinrath to one of the vines. Jolee complained about his arthritis and stayed on the ground. Q'ren smiled at the thought, '<em>Stubborn old coot.<em>'

It'd only been a few minutes, and Q'ren could already feel himself becoming impatient. Couldn't the beast smell a good lunch when it had one being offered to it? He sighed and once more peered through the thick branches hoping on all things good that the "beast" would show up soon.

"Patience, it will come eventually." Bastila chided.

Q'ren snorted, "Yeah, I'll look like Jolee by the time it does."

Bastila held back a grin at that. While she had slightly lost respect for the old man after hearing that he'd left the Order, she still admired the fatherly attitude he held towards Q'ren. '_If only he knew who this man used to be._' She shifted her glance to Q'ren and gave him a thorough studying when she saw that he wasn't looking in her direction. He wasn't powerfully built, but he carried himself in such a way that just exuded confidence. The only time he ever let his head hang was when he apologized to her after she'd been injured on Dantooine. He'd sworn that he would never let her get hurt again, and even went so far as leaving her on the Ebon Hawk while he completed his duties at the Enclave. She'd put up a fight when he told her to stay on the ship when they'd arrived on Kashyyyk. It'd taken a palm to the face to make him renounce his order. She didn't care if it had seemed immature; she'd be damned before she let herself get cooped up in the ship like a cage back on Taris.

"Bas."

"Huh? What?"

"You wanna talk about something?"

"I-well…yes I did. How'd you know?"

Q'ren smirked, and Bastila braced herself for whatever dirty thought he'd verbalize.

"Well your face is scrunched up like a kinrath pup."

Bastila's nose twitched and she fought to keep her protests quiet. Her mouth didn't quite obey and she found herself stumbling over her words as only Q'ren could make her. He choked on his laughter and preemptively held his hands up.

"Well, I did. But not anymore."

"Not so fast, I wanted to talk to you about something anyways."

Bastila's irritation dissolved and her curiosity came up in full force.

"Oh? What about?"

She expected a sarcastic remark.

"I honestly am not sure how to say this…so don't expect anything extravagant."

"Learn a new word, did we?" Bastila teased.

Q'ren was interrupted by a thundering roar exploding through the trees. Q'ren's body went rigid with excitement. His whooping was cut short at the sight of what had released the murderous cry. '_A terentatek?'_

* * *

><p>A painful looking scar lay across Q'ren's right side; dry blood blemished the visible skin. Jolee favored his left ankle. Bastila's only injury was to her modesty. A piece of her leggings had been torn exposing a toned thigh. Q'ren, as was expected, expressed his appreciation of her "sculpted" body. She had planned to reply, but knew it would be hypocritical of her. She'd taken more than a fair amount of glances at the muscles peeking through the gash in his robe. The terentatek had given out a decent amount of damage, but in the end, it was not enough to save its life. Q'ren found a sword blade lodged in the skin and was able to pull it out without further damage to the notched weapon after carefully cutting into the monster's thick hide.<p>

"It's a good thing those things don't travel in groups."

A mirthless chuckle came from Jolee, "Sometimes they do."

Q'ren's pupils grew slightly at the thought (something Bastila silently adored), and continued trudging through the thick underbrush.

"And don't think I'm going to forget that you were wrong. You better give my lightsaber a good make over."

"Don't start filling out your order quite yet, we're still not out of this mess."

Bastila finally spoke up, "Q'ren's right, we still haven't found the Star Map."

"Hmmph, well I just hope he fulfills his promise before I keel over."

Q'ren sighed, "I'll speed up the process if you don't keep your lips shut for awhile."

Jolee ignored the threat and continued to rant, "What do they teach kids in schools these days? Haven't you ever heard "respect thy elder"? Disrespectful kids…oughta beat the lot of em'."

He stalked off in the direction of Freyyr. Q'ren nudged Bastila before she followed Jolee.

"We need to talk."

"Oh yes, what were you going to say earlier? I'm all ears."

"I…you're lucky. Because I like you."

Q'ren squeezed his eyes shut and mentally slapped himself. '_What kind of proclamation of love was that?_' Bastila smiled at his poor words, and then her heart sank at the realization of what he'd just said. She liked him, but she wasn't willing to disobey the Jedi Code. Even for him.

"I'm flattered…I really am. And I feel something for you too. But we can never be more than friends. The Jedi Code discourages emotional attachment."

Q'ren's eyes popped open and he looked her in the eye. Bastila was rather surprised, he didn't seem disappointed. He was angry, very angry. Theories raced through her mind about him remembering who he was. The answer to her questions was the last one she expected.

"So, you lead me on." Q'ren spat.

"What? I did not! You were the one that was always trying to flirt. Not me."

Bastila ignored Q'ren's reply and thought back on everything since Taris. Reality hit her hard when she thought back on their conversations and bickering. '_My God…I have been leading him on. It was him though! I…I did what my body wanted, not what was right. I can't believe I did this…_'

"Hello? Bas…tila?"

Bastila noticed the way he'd forced out her full name instead of her new nickname. An incredible self-disgust overwhelmed her and she buried her hands in her face. Everything felt numb. She'd hurt him deeply. More than just leading him on, but her reason for being "just friends" was what really did it. She'd shut him down because of rules her feelings did not line up with.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled, "I…was listening to my body. I've never done this before."

Q'ren stood still, fuming.

"Can't we just be friends?" Bastila hopefully searched his face.

Q'ren's throat tightened and he knew his answer would hurt both of them.

"After this, I'm not sure."

A broken sigh escaped Bastila. Q'ren checked her face and his anger flared again, '_She didn't even get teary eyed, is she just pretending to feel bad?'_

"Go to the ship. Tell Juhani I want to meet her at the Wookie village."

Bastila's eyes widened at just what he was saying…and she slowly nodded her head.

* * *

><p>Bastila sat on the floor in the "girl's room". She'd done everything she could to forget, but she still felt incredibly guilty. Someone's soft knocking cut her thoughts short.<p>

Jolee had returned to the Ebon Hawk not long after Bastila had, and Canderous was sent to help Q'ren should anything turn aggressive. It was Jolee that had knocked. He shuffled through the door and sat down next to Bastila. Silence stalked back into the room and several moments passed. Bastila looked up at the old man and then back down to her knees.

"Jolee…what do you think of love?"


	4. I'm Back!

Hey guys! I'm so sorry I never got around to finishing this. I wasn't very happy with chapter 3, and then some "stuff" happened, resulting in my immediate loss of interest to complete this. However I'm happy with everything up to this point now that I've read through it again. Look out for a new chapter in a couple of days. Until then you can PM me the answer to this question.

How would you expect Bastila to take the initiative and repair all things with Revan?


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